The civil aviation authority is yet to determine what caused a Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA) seaplane to crash land near the Kuredhu Island Resort last week.
The accident investigation coordination committee said in a statement last night that the investigation will continue once the seaplane is resurfaced. The coastguard, police, and TMA are assisting the investigation.
The Twin Otter seaplane sank within minutes of crash-landing around 5:30pm last Tuesday. A speedboat rescued the 11 tourist passengers and three crew members within minutes.
The investigation committee said it has retrieved the seaplane’s records, recovered some of the seaplane’s parts with help from the army, and interviewed passengers and crew.
The MNDF and TMA have made a plan to recover the submerged seaplane, the committee said.
Seaplane accidents are rare in the Maldives. In February 2012, an Maldivian Air Taxi aircraft crash-landed on the water runway at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport with nine passengers due to poor weather conditions. None of the passengers or crew sustained injuries.
A TMA flight crash-landed near Biyadhoo Island resort in February 2011.
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Yet another example of Maldivian incompetence. As a former professional pilot I find this just too much to stomach. Despite all occupants of the plane surviving and especially the crew no tangible indication of the cause can be gleaned. Were the pilots asleep, drunk or suffering from dementia? Or are they being asked to say nothing and the whole matter being covered up possibly due to questions of maintenance inadequacy? I suspect so.
Oh and lets not forget the Civil Aviation Authority has now been placed under the control of the Tourist board. That is the same as putting police in charge of complaints against police and Doctors in charge of investigations into medical malpractice. The Tourist Minister who probably has very little knowledge of even tourism is now being let loose on aircraft. Give us all a break!
I am due to visit in December. Now, I am going to cancel my seaplane transfer and go by boat instead. I strongly suggest every other tourist does the same and not go near a seaplane until a timely, full and truthful accident report has been published.
You government officials, Police, Army and Judges in the Maldives are becoming comedy figures and a global laughing stock.
You are viewed like a tribe of neolithic cave dwellers suddenly transported to the 21st century and given guns and I-pads and let unsupervised on the general populace.
You are all mad!